Bag-fastener.



No. 697.7lo. Patented Apr. l5, |902.

L. a. GEBHAnu s. J. m. nowLEv. BAG FASTENER.

(Application filed June 1, 1961.)

(No Model.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT Y OFFICE.

LAWRENCE G. GEBI-IARD AND JAMES M. ROVLEY, OF BUFFALO, NEW

` YORK. A

BAG-FASTENER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,710, dated April 15V, 1902.

Application filed June 1,1901.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LAWRENCE G. GEB- HARD and JAMES M. ROWLEY, citizens of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and Useful Improvements in Bag-Fasteners, of Which'the following is a specification.

Our invention aims to provide ai bag-fastener of the type in use in this and other countries for closing mail-bags. In this class of fasteners a heavy cord is run through and around the mouth of the bag, and its ends are drawn taut and then clamped by means of a clamp, to which a label is usually attached indicating the destination of the bag. Various types of these bag-fasteners, including clamping means and means for holding a tag, have been used, most of which, however, are found to be inconvenient to operate, or to produce a rubbing action on the cord, which soon wears out, or to possess other disadvantages which itis the purpose of our present invention to eliminate.

According to our present invention, also, a fastener is provided which is capable of being locked in its clamping position. With the form at present in use in this country it is necessary to provide two kinds of mail bags -or pouches, one carrying a lock and used as a receptacle for letters containing money or the like and the other acting by the clamping of a line, as in our invention, but incapable of being locked, this form being used for second and third class mail. It is a source of inconvenience to have two kinds of pouches, since sometimes only one or two valuable letters are to be sent and a large locking-pouch is required to be used for these one or two letters, with another bag for the ordinary mail. By reason of the facility of locking our fastener in the clamping position of the parts one mail-bag would answer the purpose of two where there is only a small number of the valuable letters.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which show an embodiment of our invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the clamp side of the fastener. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tag side of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section showin g the parts locked senin No. 62,775. (No mdem in the clamping position. Fig. 4 isa central cross-section through the clamping mechanism. Figs. 5 and 6 are aplan and a side elevation, respectively, of the movable clamping member and connected parts.

Preferably one of the clamping members of our improved fastener is connected to the main structure of the fastener. This we call the xedclamping member. The other or movable clamping member is preferably guided in the desired direction normal to the cord and is forced toward the fixed member by means of a cam, so as to clamp the cord forcibly against the fixed member. Preferably, also, the movable clamping member forms the axle around the axis of which the cam moves. l

A feature directed principally to the same purpose of avoiding abrasion of the rope and which is available either with or without the features above referred to is the arrangement of a roller on one of the clamping members, preferably on the movable member. This roller when the parts are brought` together is perfectly immovable on the cord, though the pin upon which the roller is di-l rectly mounted has a slight rotation, which if it were brought in direct contact with the cord would tend to abrade the same.

Referring now to the drawings, A and B indicate as a whole the iixed and movable clamp-4 ing members of the device. The Xed member A is composed, preferably, of a crosspiece C and a pair of side pieces D, connecting the same to the main plate. The attachment of the side pieces D to the plate E may be made in any desired manner-as, for example, by passing the lower ends thereof through the plate and swaging them, as shown in Fig. 4. Where our fastener is to be used for a double cord, as is usually the case, the under side of the cross-piece C is preferably grooved, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, to hold the'two cords apart.y

The movable clamping member B preferably comprises a pin F, upon which is mounted a roller G. The pin is guided to move in the desired direction perpendicular to the rope by means of slots Il in the side pieces D of the xed member. Outside of the side pieces of the iixed member and on the pin F IOO ' the cam will just pass the dead-center as the arm K bears upon the plate E, so as to auto-I Y used .near each end where two cords are tobe clamped'. The end L is preferably bent up are mounted a pair ot cams J of approximately the shape shown in Figs. 1 and 6, this cam bearing on the plate E and as it is rotated about the pin F causing themovement of the pin in the lguide-slots. The cams J are connected to, and preferably by being made integral therewith, an operating-arm K,which extends, slightly beyond the end of the plate E. The shape of the cam should be made such that for use with a regulation-size cord matieally hold the parts clamped and resist an unclamping movement of `the arm.

For convenience the plate E carries aper-y tures near each end, preferably two being ward forconvenience, so asto allow the cord to Lpass out in approximately a straight line, the end of the operating-arm K being similarly bent. In the bent portions of theplate and the operating-arm or at any other point which would serve for the locking of the clamping members in operative position We arrange holes M and N, which register with each other-thatis to say, whichassume such arelative position that apadlock or the like may be attached theretowhen the cam has been brought into position to clamp the cord.

A suitable padlock is shownat O in Fig. 3 inv ing means, combined with means for looking the parts in the clamped position, it is unnecessary to provide a different set ot mailpouches for locking'or for shipment unlocked. Our improved apparatus permits of the use of a single sort of fastener, which may be locked or not,at pleasure,-being automatically held in the clamped position against ordinary accidents and being adapted for the addition of a padlock or the like, if necessary. It will be seen also that our invention provides a clamping means which clamps the cord with the greatest tightness by a direct normal movement of the clamping members and Without any liability of abrading the cord, so that the life ot' the cord'would be much greater than with any of the devices at present in use.

It will be understood, of course, that in the details and the separate parts of our improved Afixed clamping member, and a movable clamping member adapted to clamp a cord between them, and acam-lever of which said movable clamping member forms the axle.

2. In a bag-fastener, thecombination of a plate, a ixed clamping member carried by said plate, a movable clamping member, anda cam operated to bear against said plate to operate said movable member to clamp a cord.

3. In a bag-fastener, the combination of a fixed clamping member, a movable clamping member, a cam for operating said movable member to clamp a cord, and means for locking saidl cam when said movable member is lin the clamping position.

4. In a bag-fastener, the'combination of a plate, a fixed clamping member carried by said plate, a movable clamping member, and

a cam adapted to bear against said plate tol operate said movable member to clamp a cord, an operatinglarm connected to said cam, said arm'and said plate having holes adapted to register with each other in the clamping p0- sition of the parts. l

' 5. In a bag-fastener, the combination of a plate E having holes at opposite ends for the reception of a cord, means intermediate of the ends for clamping said cord, and an operating-arm K for said clamping means, said plate and arm having holes adapted to register with each other in the clamping position of the parts.

6. In a bag-fastener, the combination of a plate carrying a clamping member, of an arm connected to a second clamping member and adapted to bear upon and extend beyond said plate in the clamping position of the parts.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LAWRENCE G. GEBHARD. JAMES M. ROWLEY. Witnesses:

ELIJAH W'. HoL'r, yGrREENLEAF S. VAN GORDER.

IIC 

